The invention relates generally to computing security, and more particularly but not exclusively to protecting media ‘in the clear’ during a ‘digital hole’ from static and/or dynamic security attacks using a publisher/subscriber architecture.
Broadcast television is a multi-billion dollar global market served by cable, satellite, and increasingly telecommunications companies. Broadcast television allows users to view content by tuning their television to scheduled programs or events. There is little personalization allowed. Enhanced and iTV allows far greater personalization of the TV viewing experience. Historically the security needs of the broadcast market were fulfilled by conditional access system (CAS) and more recently digital rights management (DRM) technologies.
Over the last several years, cable operators, content owners, and consumer electronics companies have been innovating with the hope to expand the distribution of entertainment beyond the set top box found in millions of homes. In the cable industry today there is a major focus on developing products to allow the expansion of the authorized video service domain to encompass multiple devices throughout the home.
Consumer electronic companies continue to innovate rapidly taking advantage of internet protocols used in home networks to move entertainment content.
Concerns over protection of the operator's revenue streams and intellectual property rights of the content owner have slowed progress towards these goals. So much so, that numerous “digital” home security initiatives have been born. Many of these initiatives involve bridging from one link level security control to another or perhaps to a proprietary digital rights management scheme. Many of these initiatives rely on the assumption of trust between the devices and manufacturers. In a world of rapid change leading to a large amount of confusion and questions around the actual content security achieved resulting in an unrealized vision.
At the same time content delivery to the authorized service domain (such as the home) has been steadily moving to a video distribution network that is largely dependent on IP based infrastructure. Video over DSL or Fiber is described as the delivery of quality MPEG video services and “on-demand” content to either an access network or to the consumer premise using a Fiber or copper infrastructure. This infrastructure often uses the same physical and transport protocols that are common to a computer network similar to what is found in the home or a typical business enterprise.
Internet Protocol TeleVision (IPTV) has matured from small Telco trials since approximately the 2001 time frame into a viable and growing market with large scale deployments today. Early stage projects were often conducted without basic security mechanisms due to the size of the trials and the belief that addressability was security enough. However, recently content owners (broadcasters and studios) began enforcing the same security requirements that have been required in the MSO for years. This renewed focus on IPTV security has led to innovations that may be tapped in order to expand the authorized service domain for video into any domain readily available to the telecommunications industry (the home, the office and the mobile consumer, wherever they may roam). This includes expansion beyond the Set Top Box (STB) to personal computers, portable players, mobile phones, audio/video systems in cars and into other consumer electronic devices.
In order for this expanded domain to be successful, the media is expected to be secure no matter how or where it may travel; moreover, it may be desirable to have available various payment models for the media. Therefore, it is with respect to these considerations, and others, that the present invention has been made.